Under the gaze of everyone, the young man read out the poem he had improvised unhurriedly.
After he finished reading, he stopped saying a word and quietly waited for His Majesty the Emperor's judgment. For a while, the room was silent as everyone waited for His Majesty to speak.
However, His Majesty the Emperor did not make any expression, he just stared blankly ahead.
Of course, the young man's poem was not a great masterpiece, but it unexpectedly aroused the old emperor's infinite feelings.
Yes, even if I secretly come to the countryside today, I still can't get rid of the fetters and worries from the throne.
His crown is both glory and a heavy burden. This burden will accompany him throughout his life until the day he returns to the embrace of God - just like his father's life.
He ascended the throne in the turbulent year of 1792. From the day he ascended the throne, all bad news awaited him.
At that time, the fire in France was burning uncontrollably, and with this terrible fanaticism, the king and his aunt who was married to France soon became the dead souls on the guillotine.
Soon the storm broke out of the country and swept across Europe, causing his empire to collapse.
Under the scorching flames of France's fanaticism, he lost his troops and territory, ceded territory and paid indemnities, suffered the humiliation of the fall of his capital more than once, and had to abandon the title of Holy Roman Emperor that had been passed down from generation to generation, and instead became Emperor of the Austrian Empire, and even
In order to seek temporary peace, he even had to marry his daughter to that lawless robber.
Which emperor of the Habsburg family suffered so many disasters like him?
Fortunately, the nightmare was finally over, the fire was finally extinguished, and he and his empire finally had a rare breather.
However, the situation is difficult to reverse, and the empire's national power is declining. Even if you exhaust your efforts, you can only barely maintain this crumbling empire in the end.
Holding a sharp sword in hand, feeling compassion in the heart, slaying evil, and showing kindness, of course a king should act like this, but how can it be so easy to do it?
I am already aging, and I don’t know how long I can continue to stay in this world. After I pass away, will the person who replaces me really be able to do a good job in this job?
Asking himself, he doesn't have much confidence.
When he thought of this, His Majesty the Emperor's originally relaxed and leisurely mood was completely replaced by upset.
He glanced at the young man in front of him again with complicated eyes.
He is indeed a handsome child, but more importantly, his eyes are full of confidence, his thinking is quick, and he has an extraordinary demeanor without losing the smoothness he deserves.
All in all, likable.
It's a pity that he is a grandson, not a biological grandson, and he is still that person's son...
"Nice poem." He sighed, and then looked at the girl standing next to the boy, "Teresa, what do you think?"
"It's a good poem, and considering it was improvised, it's even more valuable." Teresa praised it, "Your Highness is indeed talented."
His Majesty the Emperor nodded, then looked at Aiglon and smiled, "It seems you passed the test, young man. Teresa and I are very satisfied."
"It's my honor." Aigron replied quickly.
Now that His Majesty the Emperor has made his judgment, other people present are of course also very knowledgeable. They applauded or laughed and praised Duke Lechstadt's creation. For a while, the living room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Okay, it's dinner time." His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand and signaled his entourage to quickly arrange the arrangements, "Let's have dinner together."
Because this is a country villa, the furnishings are not as expensive as those in a palace. Everyone just sits at a long table and dines together.
In order to cater to His Majesty's interest, tonight's meal is all country game, and the drink is wine made from honey. As the dinner begins, the hall is filled with people drinking and drinking, which is very lively.
Perhaps due to deliberate arrangement, Aigron and Teresa sat together.
"Good evening, Teresa." Aigron greeted the other party with a smile.
"Good evening, Your Highness..." Teresa nodded slightly, seeming a little shy.
The two were speechless for a moment, and neither one knew what to say. It happened that Aigron was already hungry, so he decided to satisfy his appetite first.
He cut the fried quail into pieces and ate them together with the quail eggs, and then used a knife and fork to destroy a large piece of wild boar leg.
Teresa, on the other hand, seemed to be much more polite when it came to eating. She just cut the quail into thin pieces, mixed it with lettuce, and ate it slowly.
After a while, he finally heard a soft greeting coming from beside him.
"Your Highness... you seem to be in a good mood today and have a good appetite."
"Of course I'll be in a good mood if I can go out for a walk once in a while and breathe the fresh air of the countryside." Aigron stopped eating, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then turned to look at Teresa, "
What’s more, you’re sitting next to me, right?”
Under the bright candlelight, the young man's movements were smooth and natural, as if no one else was around and full of confidence. Teresa subconsciously avoided his sight, and then answered in a low voice.
"Actually, I'm quite happy, but I want to point out something to you..."
"What?" Aigron asked curiously.
"Only His Majesty the Emperor would think that bringing a large group of guards and entourage to an emptied village is called experiencing country life." Teresa lowered her voice, "This is just countryside at best.
The shadow of the palace is actually just a slight change of appearance of the palace."
"What you said makes sense." Aigron thought for a moment, then nodded, "But as long as His Majesty is happy, that's enough, isn't it?"
"That being said, I also feel it's a pity." Teresa sighed, "After I followed this path, I felt that it was so boring after becoming the emperor. I could never get rid of the guards, and even relaxing was so boring.
It’s troublesome.”
"Although it is troublesome, what you get in exchange is indeed supreme power. This can be considered a gain and a loss." Aigron replied. "At least most people will enjoy it."
"Supreme power is certainly tempting, but for those who cannot possess it, it is not so wonderful. I think... you have only suffered the harm from it so far, but you are unable to appreciate its beauty."
Teresa looked at him inquiringly, "You have not enjoyed the imperial power, but you can still only experience this false happiness."
"You are right." Aigron could only shrug helplessly, "Although I was very close to the throne, I was only three years old at the time, and of course I didn't understand what imperial power was. Then I came to Austria.
"
Teresa blinked apologetically. "This is where I feel our family is sorry for you. Compared with what we took away from you, what we gave you is too little."
"Forget it, what's the point of talking about it now?" Aigron shook his head to avoid showing his resentment, "Let's just enjoy the moment. At least I'm happy tonight."
"In most things, I can't give you anything but empty sympathy, but at least in this matter, I can still help repay the favor for our family." Teresa smiled, "
Your Highness, if you are interested, I can ask my father to invite you to our manor in a while to relax and experience a truly stable and peaceful country life. I can assure you that it will be much more comfortable than what you are experiencing now.
"
This sudden invitation made Aigron's eyes light up immediately. This was a great opportunity to get in touch with the outside world!
He took the opportunity to raise his glass and take a sip of mead to conceal his excitement, then smiled and nodded to Theresa, "Thank you, Theresa, I'm very interested in this."
"In that case, I'll tell my father..." Teresa also nodded. "As long as he comes forward, I believe it should be easy to get permission."
"Teresa, you are a good girl." Aigron couldn't help but thank you again, "I said, you don't owe me anything, and the grievances between me and other people have nothing to do with you. You don't have to worry about the past.
And I feel that I am owed something. I am not so resentful, I can face the reality."
"You are indeed right, but that doesn't stop me from doing something for you, right?" Teresa raised her head and smiled happily, "Besides, I have other reasons to do this.
"
Before Aigron could ask further questions, she looked around again, and then frowned, "Are you...are you interested in going out for a while? It's really noisy here, and I don't like it being too lively."
"No problem, I don't like it either." Aigron agreed immediately.
Then, the two people stood up and left the table. Others present, including His Majesty the Emperor, were a little surprised at first, but soon they all smiled and no one said anything to stop them.
In this way, Agron and Teresa walked out of the mansion and strolled along the paths in the manor. At this time, the moon was hanging high in the sky, and the cold moonlight fell on the ground, outlining two shadows side by side.
The evening breeze in early autumn was already a bit chilly, but Aigron felt relaxed.
"Can you tell me now, Your Highness?" After walking for a while, he asked Theresa.
"Your guardian told my father that you have been passing the time by writing scripts recently." Teresa also turned her head and looked at the young man, "Originally, I only used it as a pastime for you, but today I saw you improvising
, I think you are indeed talented, and maybe the story you patiently wrote will be quite interesting... So, Your Highness, can you allow me to invite you to relax in exchange for witnessing your creation?"
Aigron was a little shocked, and then he felt dumbfounded.
His guardian, Count Dietrichstein, seemed to be really convinced about this marriage, so he tried his best to sell himself to the Grand Duke and his daughter.
It was really hard for him.
"It's just a boring pastime, nothing more." He smiled, but nodded, "But if you want to see it, you will see it, I promise."
"That's great." Teresa laughed happily.
Under the moonlight, her smile was so white that it fluoresced.
"Your Highness, I admire you so much when I see you working hard and working hard even in difficult situations." She looked at Aigron and said with emotion, "In comparison, the young people in our family are still very young.
What are those young people who are fawning around our family doing? Oh, it’s really disappointing.”